Pet peeves

I really have no idea what prompted me to think about my top five pet peeves, let alone blog about them.  But I suppose it might do me some good to get this off my chest, even if as far as you, dear reader, are concerned it's all a complete waste of time.  Of course, you always have the ultimate sanction: the "next blog" button at the top of this page!  But to get to my peeves.  They are in no particular order of peevishness and tomorrow my selection might be entirely different, but these are they for today.

1. Cold callers who open the conversation with, "Hi, Brian.  How are you today?"  There are actually three peeves here but I'll lump them all in together and call the score just one.  First, cold calls.  (As I typed those words a cold call came in!  Grr!)  Second, I dislike being called by my Christian name by somebody who is probably young enough to be my son - and almost young enough to be my grandson - and who is a person to whom I have never spoken let alone met face to face.  And then there is that false bonhomie in asking how I am today, just as if we were talking yesterday and I didn't feel too well.
2. I frequently drive along a road where there are three right turns into shopping areas, each with a right-turn lane in the centre of the road.  As I drive past the shopping areas to get to Stanmer woods to walk the dog, nearly every driver in front of me wants to turn right.  But why do they have to leave it to the last minute to move into the centre lane?  And when they do move over, why do they have to straddle both the straight-ahead lane and the centre lane so that following traffic can't get past?
3. People who keep me waiting for an appointment or who arrive late.  There are exceptions here as I am fully aware that my GP, for example, spends as much time as needed with each patient and this can - and usually does - mean he runs late.  But when I was working it annoyed me intensely if somebody made an appointment to come and see me and was then five or even ten minutes late turning up.  On at least one occasion I had them sent away again on the pretext that they were so late I was in another meeting.
4. The misuse of the English language by people who should know better.  What gets my goat in particular is the use of the word "less" when the correct word is "fewer" and "Feb-you-ree" instread of "FebRuary".
5. For years and years they have been railway stations.  Why, oh why do they suddenly have to be train stations?

Thanks - I feel better now.

Oh - and cyclists who will insist on using the carriageway instead of the dedicated cycle lane!  Which makes six instead of five - but you'll get over it.


~~~~~

A family enjoying the sun in Stanmer Park earlier this week.  There is a dog in there somewhere.